Blog

Moving Forward in Faith
Summer can be a downtime for many people where they rest from their labors for a time, cutting back and enjoying some free time to do activities, go to events, and just spend time with family and friends. This is not a time where work or the job is completely abandoned, however. People still have to go into work, still have to fulfill the duties that they were hired to do, perhaps at a more relaxed pace. The same can be said of the church community. While summer is a downtime for many Bible studies, Sunday school, catechism, youth group, and other opportunities that doesn’t mean that the church is not at work. And furthermore, it does not mean that God is not at work in hearts, lives, and situations.
It may be stated in many different forms but one of the main goals of the church community is to move forward together in faith. We do that in many of the groups that are active in the various church seasons and perhaps participation outside the church as well. In the midst of it all God is preparing hearts and minds, putting things in place, for great things to happen in his kingdom and world and especially perhaps in the small corner of the world and church community of which you are a part. Understanding this can be a worthwhile reflection not only for leaders but also for future participants.
The church community does a great job of putting resources and opportunities out there for the church to participate in. The question we must ask ourselves is “Where is God calling us to go and grow?” Essentially, where is he calling us to move forward? For some, this may be a big step, such as a change in careers, for others it may be a small step such as taking on a new responsibility within your church or the surrounding community. Whatever it is, recognize that God has called you forward into the task.
At the beginning of the new church season, your church may put out many different opportunities for you to serve or to participate. You may hear the announcements, read the bulletin, or be encouraged to join particular opportunities but you also may feel overwhelmed. It is in these moments where I encourage you to do two things: first and most importantly pray that God will continue to lead you to where he wants you to be, whether that be in a men or women small group Bible study or taking on a leadership role as a volunteer in some capacity. Second, I encourage you to be brave enough to ask about opportunities you feel led to. There are people that are willing to explain to you what is happening in a particular opportunity, and they would love your input and for you to become a part of that aspect of your church community. Whether big or small, God has given us the opportunity for a reason, and he has placed us there for a reason as well. We may not find out until the end of the season what the reason was, but in the meantime, we were given the opportunity to grow in the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through his church.
I know preparations are being made even now for new opportunities in Bible study, volunteering activities, service trips, leadership roles and many other countless options. I pray that God will lay on our hearts and minds the opportunities that he has for us so that we can not only move forward in our understanding, in our growth, but ultimately in our faith. And I pray that that faith may continue to burn brighter in each and every opportunity that we get to have as a church community, not only uniting us together as a church, but also uniting and leading lost souls to the foot of the cross.
The Wheeled Worshiper